Samuel mcculloch



Sie MCCULLOCH.

Convertible Shot Gun and Rifle.

Patented Dec. 10, 1867.

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TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL McCULLOCH, lof Yellow Springs, Greene county, Ohio, have-invented a new and useful Convertible Rifle and Shot-Gun; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, making part'of this specification.

This invention relates tofa' means by which the ordinary double-barrelled shot-gun may be converted into a combined riile and shot-gun, for temporary or more extended use in that form. In the accompanying drawings- Figure l is au axial section of the barrels of a double-barrelled shot-gun with my rie-barreliinserted. Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same. f

Figure 3 is a `.square-ended -plug-wrencln'for introducing and removing the perforated plug shown in Figure 4.

Figure 5 shows my removable sight.

Figure 6 shows a modification of my rifle-barrel breech.

Figure 7 shows a modication of' my method o t` aiiixing the breech-end'into theiriiie-bar'rel..

A and B are the right and left-handrharrels of a double-barrel shot-gun, and within thebarrel Ais' inserted the ride-barrel C, and retained in position by a screw-threadupon part D at the breech-end, the said end screwing into a suitable screwthreaded hole, E, at the inside end of a gun-barrel, the'rbarrel being turned around by means ot' a key upon its hexagonal end c. i

The rifle-barrel C is furnished ,at suitable intervals'with hands c, the band near the breech being much extended, so as to give streugthandagood bearing to this barrel 'within the other. The rings or bands vmay he either shrunk on the barrel, or the general' outside of the barrel may be turned down, leaving the rings pro jecting therefrom.l The ride-barrel has a general decreased diameter from breech to point, but the bands are all turned to the same diameter, so as toA snugly t the inside 'of the gun-barrel, to insure accuracy of tire, and to avoid the jarring of the one barrel within theother.

When the rifle-barrel is removed from the barrelA, a plug, F, seen in fig. 4, is. screwed fast into the hole E, to decrease the breech-hole to the proper size, and to keep the screw-threadclean for use. The plug F is inserted and removed by means of a key, G, fig. 3, which traverses the whole length .of the barrel, and 'is rect angular at the end, the plug-socket being of a suitable shapeto receive the end of the key.

In the use of a riile it is4 quite necessary to have a hind sight upon a gun, while in tho use of the gun for shot only it is almost as imperative that there should\be no hindsight, as the gun has to be brought quickly up to the eye without the necessity of such extreme accuracy as that required in shooting ball. In shooting at the game when the same is moving on legor wing, theisportsman prefers to takesightover the concave breech of" the gun, without the intervention of any object between that and the lend sight; so that in a convertible ride and shot-gun it is demanded that the hind sight should he removable. In view of this, 'I provide a sight which may be removed at pleasure by the withdrawal of a screw. My hind sight (see fig. 5) is formed of two pieces, H and I, thelowenpiece, II, being grooved at 7i to fit theupper lside of strip J, which connects the two barrels together, and held fast to said-strip by a screw, h. The piece H is also grooved 'transversely on, the upper side, for the reception of the cross-piece I. The piece I is furnished with two notches, 'i z", one of which is appropriate to. cach barrel. In the use of a single hind sight on a double-barrel gun, perfect'accuracy of aim is not attainable, as the line ot' fire must cross the line o f sight at some single point, whereas ythe lines of sight fromthe two notchess iz", and 'the end sightj, each'formsa nearly perfect guide for aim to its appropriate barrel. The piece I admits of sideadjustment in its groove in the plate H.

One manner of placing the breech-piece D D in my ride-barrel .is seerrin tig. 1, where the inside of the bore is sutliciently enlarged, and screw-threaded at its rear, to admit of screwing in the said piece a'requisitc distance, and leaving a sufficiency of its length projecting to vkform the part D, to' screw 'fast into the hole E of` the gun-breech, as before mentioned. In iig. 6 is shown a modification of the breech-screw D, in which the said screw is formed on a diminished part of the barrel proper. -In fig. 7 is shown my preferred form of placing the breech-piece D D in the ride-barrel, in which the breech is foi-'med of a separate piece, ofthe same outside diameter as the inside of gun-barrel A, the said piece being furnished with a screw-thread on each end, the screw D to enter the hole E, and the screw D to attach the said breech to the rest of the barrel by screwing fast into a suitable screw-threaded opening. This breech-piece has flattened places on it, to enable its insertion or removal by an appropiate key.

In applying my limprovement to a common shot-gun, which can easily be donc, the ria-barrel being turned to the proper size, might be lused as a socket for the drill, to guide the said drill, used'in drilling the hole E, to its proper starting-place, and restrict it toits right cours-e. 4

This convertible gun is much better than al gun made with one shot and one rifle-barrel, as the latter cannot be used with any satisfaction or success in shooting game upon the wing. The removal of my rifle-barrel and hind sight, and the insertion of the plug F, restores the gun to the usual form of a shot-'gun in allre/spects. The rifle-barrel C, in most cases, is entered into and removed from the muzzle'ofthebarrel A.; but in ease the improvement is to be applied to an old .gun that is much enlarged or burned out at the breech, and it is desired to use as large ballas possible, the breech of the shot-barrel is taken out, the bore is `trued a little to make it perfectly round, the rifle-barrel is turned to fit, and slipped in from the breech-end of the gun the shot-barrel breech is then screwed in, and the key` can be used on the point of the rifle-barrel,fbackward'or forward, to make the shoulders come up tight, and both together. 'The rifle-barrel, inthis case, is removed in'the'same way, by taking out the shot-barrel breech-piu. v I

I claim herein as new, and of my invention- 4 4 1. The removable barrel C, constructed with external collars c, and secured trithn a shot-gun barrel, A, by a screw, D, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. I claim the plug F, for the purposes set forth.

In testimony of which invention, I hereunto set my hand.

SAMUEL MGCULLOCH.

Witnesses:

JN0. J. Hmsr, B. E. KEMP. 

